Kylian Mbappe has admitted his head was left “spinning” after a trial with Real Madrid as a14-year-old in 2012.
Mbappe has been a top target for Madrid for what feels like an eternity now, with the Spanish side missing out on his signature in 2022 but hopeful of landing him once and for all this summer.
As it turns out, however, Madrid could have saved themselves plenty of frustration as they actually had a 14-year-old Mbappe on trial on 2012.
“I was invited by Real Madrid. I spent four days there. I saw all the superstars, the whole team, my head was spinning,” Mbappe reminisced to France 2. “After that, I had to go back and do three days of cleaning in my mother’s classroom. I went from the top of the world to the bottom.”
Asked what he took from the trial, Mbappe added: “At that moment I was thinking ‘what was my mother thinking bringing me back?’ But now at this age, I understand. I touched the stars, I had to come back to earth.”
Madrid’s trial for Mbappe came 12 months after the young Frenchman was invited to train with Chelsea.
“Chelsea was the first great club, the first big club, that I went to visit,” Mbappe told The Telegraph in 2017. “So it was a real discovery for me.”
The scout responsible for setting up Mbappe’s trial later revealed the Blues passed up on signing the youngster due to concerns about his work rate off the ball, with Monaco ultimately winning the race for his commitment in 2013.
11 years later and the now superstar could be on the move once again. He has entered the final six months of his contract with Paris Saint-Germain and could leave on a free transfer this summer, although an agreement he has with his current employers means they are not concerned by the financial impact of losing Mbappe in that scenario.
